"You know the rules." He said, raising an eyebrow in question, silently asking her to recite the rules.
"Stay close and stay alert." She recited carefully, hope sparking up in her eyes.
"And most importantly?" He urged, leaning his head toward his...
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||CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR // PANIC||
It was silent in the impala, but the air was incredibly tense. Dakota shifts in her seat uncomfortably, waiting for her uncle to scold her for acting that way towards her dad. Sam sighs, breaking the silence and causing Dakota to stiffen.
"What's going on with you, Kota?" Sam asks, Dakota wasn't expecting that. His tone was gentle and concerned, not at all angry at her.
"Nothing." She shrugs, moving her feet under her. "I just got angry, that's all."
"No," Sam denies quickly, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror. "I'm not taking that answer, not again. You've been acting strange, and yelling at your dad? That's not like you."
"I-I just realized that I'm not like other kids." She says quietly, her voice sounding timid. She glances up at Sam through her lashes, scared of his reaction.
A sharp pain races through Sam's chest and into his heart, she feels exactly like he did when he was younger. Sometimes how he feels still, like a freak compared to everyone else.
"You're not...but sometimes that's okay, bug." He replies soothingly, she gazes at him like she's hanging onto his words. "I wasn't like other kids when I was you're age, neither was Dean. I'm still not, but that's okay."
"Bobby asked me if I had any friends." She changes the subject, seeming to ignore Sam's assurance.
"What?"
"He asked me how my friends were." Her voice wavers. "I told him you're fine."
"Me?" Sam questions, pulling the impala to a stop in front of the theater.
"You're my best friend, uncle Sammy." She replies, giving him a tiny smile before it disappears. "My only friend."
Sam's stunned into silence, he realizes that she's right. She doesn't have any friends, she's seven and has never really talked to anybody her age.
"I want to go school." Dakota says, once again changing the subject. "I want to learn normal things, not how to hunt a shifter or a werewolf."
"You don't want to hunt." Sam states, turning in his seat to look at her fully.
"I'm sorry," She apologizes, looking away from him quickly. Her voice losing the confidence it held a second ago.
"Sorry? Why are you sorry, Kota?"
"I-I...dad wants me to be a hunter, to be like him." Dakota's voice breaks. "He always tells me I'm gonna be just like him, I don't know if I can."
Sam doesn't know how to respond, he knows that Dakota's strong enough to be a hunter. She's smart enough to be one when she gets older. She just lacks the confidence in herself and the conviction to actually do it.
